The Russian Federal Military Technology Cooperation Service has permitted China to re-export Russian RD-93 fighter jet engines as part of FC-1 Chinese-Pakistani planes to six countries, including Algeria, which, until now, has only bought Russian jets. Besides Pakistan and Algeria, the countries that will receive the planes are Egypt, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.

The presence of Algeria on the lost was unexpected. It is the third-largest buyer of Russian military hardware and has only purchased coast guard boats and Kalashnikov plants from China so far. Russia signed a contract with Algeria in March 2006 for the delivery of 28 MiG-29SMT and 6 MiG-29UB planes. However, the Algerian government complained about the quality of the planes immediately after the first deliveries. Russia offered to replace two of the planes, which were manufactured by the Sokol plant in Nizhny Novgorod after Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but Algeria did not respond to that suggestion. Observers say that the country's interest in the FC-1 may be due to its disappointment with the MiGs, although the FC-1 is much less militarily effective.

The FC-1 (known as the JF-17 in Pakistan) is the first Chinese multifunctional fighter jet created for the foreign market. Design of the aircraft began in the early 1990s by Chengdu Aircraft Industry. Pakistan paid for about half of the design costs ($75 million). The Russian RD-93 engines for it were designed by the Klimov company and are manufactured by Chernyshev Moscow Heavy Machinery Enterprise. Rosoboronexport struck a $238-million deal for the first 100 engines for the craft in 2005.

Pakistan is the only country that has signed a for the purchase of the aircraft so far. Besides the countries that plan to sign contracts, Lebanon, Burma, Iran and Sri Lanka have expressed interest in it.